EDLD 5363 Final Reflections

1. What outcomes had you envisioned for this course? Did you achieve those outcomes? Did the actual course outcomes align with those that you envisioned?

The skills I learned from this class will be very valuable to me as an educational technology instructor. I had expected to learn how to shoot video and how to use video editing software, but I learned much more than I had expected. I learned how to create a video by using Photo Story 3. I was exposed to the video editing software of Adobe Premiere Elements and Movie Maker. I learned how to use Audacity to do voice-over and I learned about the use of Creative Commons for copyright issues.

The class allowed us to learn by creating individually, with a partner and then as a team of four. The processes I went through in this class are the same processes my students have to go through when they are creating an individual or group project. I now understand more about their concerns and issues of working on a group project. I learned how the pre-production process of planning includes using a story board, creating a preliminary shot list, and deciding on close-up and wide-angle shots. The more planning that is done the less video editing that has to be done later on.
Actually, I learned more than I had envisioned I would learn. Producing the PSA with my team was a great learning experience. Collaborating with each other was not as difficult as I had envisioned it might be. We used email, Skype and a wiki to collaborate and decide what parts each of us would do. My part was a digital picture of my grandson, video of a math teacher and some audio for the PSA. We all had input in the final edited version of our PSA. We added Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share-Alike 3.0 copyright so others could use our video as long as attribution is given.


2. To the extent that you achieved the outcomes, are they still relevant to the work that you do in your school? Why or why not?

Everything I learned in this class will be relevant in my classroom. The more today’s students use technology the more involved they are in their education and the more knowledge and understanding they have. The video and editing skills I acquired while taking this class will benefit my students as I teach them how to create and edit videos. The multimedia video technology skills that I learned in this class will be skills that my students will enjoy learning. The new TEKS for technology classes include collaboration because it is very important for today's students to know how to work together. In the workplace today, employees are expected to work collaboratively and the skills I learned in this class will help me teach my students how to collaborate better.
As more school use online learning, ti is important for our students to understand the processes used in creating different types of video

3. What outcomes did you not achieve? What prevented you from achieving them?
There were several web conferences and I was not able to participate in all of them. On one occasion, I could not get on at all because the link did not work correctly. Another time, we had to just type because there were too many people on and the voice did not work. The web conferences have been beneficial in the past and I was a little frustrated when I could not get in on the web conference. The changes that kept being made in the assignments were quite confusing at times. At times, I was not even sure what it was exactly I was supposed to have completed and turned in. Evidently I was not the only one confused because on one of the Lamar Facebook pages I am a member of, there were several comments about how confused several of the Lamar students were. This class just seemed to not go as smoothly as some of the previous classes I had taken.


4. Were you successful in completing the course assignments? If not, what prevented or discouraged you?

The course assignments allowed me to successfully learn how to use Photo Story 3, Movie Maker, and Audacity. The most challenging part for me was dealing with file types and trying to upload the video. This was challenging for me because I had never done any of this before. Using Audacity and doing voice-over was a challenge. I had to re-record several times because the volume or the timing was not correct. When I finally had the first two assignments completed I was satisfied with the projects I had created. The team PSA project was a great experience. We were able to work together collaboratively by using Skype, email and a wiki. Our PSA would have been better if all of the video had been a little better quality. I should have used a tri-pod as was suggested, but I did not have access to one. Overall, the project was a great learning experience because I will be able to use the information I read about and learned to teach my students how to create and edit videos.


5. What did you learn from this course: about yourself, your technology and leadership skills, and your attitudes?
As I think about what I have learned in this course, I realize that I have learned a great deal about multimedia video technology. I learned how to use Photo Story 3 to create videos using photos, I learned how to use Audacity to add voice to videos, and I learned how to use Movie Maker to make and edit a video. I thoroughly enjoyed learning this technology.
I was concerned about doing the PSA project with a team and how the collaboration would work with all of us scattered across Texas, but to be honest it was easier to collaborate than I thought it would be. I enjoyed working with my team members and I think we did a good job of helping each other. I believe our team worked well together, if one of us didn’t understand something or was having a problem, one of the other members would step in to assist. Working together collaboratively as a team was a great experience and beneficial to me. As I endeavor to teach students marketable workplace skills, I will include more collaborative projects so students will understand how important it is to work with others collaboratively.